Wednesday, October 27, 2010

The Scariest Things you can do this Halloween

I got this today from Vision Forum. It's a good read and a good stand to take. Halloween is not a benign "holiday".

The Five Scariest Things
You Can Do This Halloween

The fear of the Lord is to hate evil. (Proverbs 8:13)

By Doug Phillips

Our country is in the grip of a fear crisis. The tension because of this fear is almost palpable. There is fear over elections, fear over the economy, and fear over hundreds of other issues ranging from the environment to terrorism.

The one fear that America is missing is a fear of the Lord. As a people, we no longer fear God. Because we do not fear God, we no longer hate evil (Proverbs 8:13).

Instead of hating evil, Americans toy with it. We toy with holidays like Halloween that were conceived in evil and that promote the “cute-ification” of evil, whether that evil takes the form of witchcraft, sorcery, ghoulishness, or some other form of malevolent imagery paraded before our children. We laugh at the very things that the Lord describes as “abominations,” and we find ourselves obsessively fascinated by, and attracted to, all things dark.

Yet we do not fear the Lord.

Those who “hate evil” are very scary to a secular society that fears man more than God. They are scary because they dare to declare that there are absolute standards by which society must be governed. They are scary because, if they are successful, industries like Hollywood that make billions of dollars by promoting ungodly fear will lose their influence. They are scary because such people will not be swayed by political candidates who use fear as a tool for manipulation.

With this in mind, I offer you the five “scariest” things you can do this Halloween:

  1. The scariest thing you can do this Halloween is to not make light of evil. Halloween was conceived in evil and has remained a celebration that uses children to promote a fascination with darkness and superstitious fear. Simultaneously, it makes light of things that the Bible describes as evil. Stand against such things, and the world will find you very scary indeed. The fear of the Lord makes men turn from evil (Proverbs 16:6).
  2. The scariest thing you can do this Halloween is to not be fearful. The media wants you to be afraid of everything from overpopulation to global warming. The politicians want you to be afraid of the economy and political instability. God wants you to do what is morally right, trust Him completely, and never be gripped by an ungodly spirit of fear. You can place your trust and hope for this nation in the King of Kings. Jesus said: “And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him” (Luke 12:4-5). Believe this, and you will be light to the world.
  3. The scariest thing you can do this Halloween is to completely skip Halloween and remember Reformation Day. It was 493 years ago that Martin Luther nailed his world-changing 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenberg church. These theses included rebukes to ungodly fear and superstition. 501 years ago, sometime near October 31, a baby named John Calvin was conceived who would dedicate his life to eradicating an ungodly fear of superstitious beliefs and proclaiming the gospel of grace. His emphasis on reformation, revival, and the sufficiency of Scripture had such far-reaching implications for nations like the United States that he has been described by Christian and secular scholars alike as the true founding father of America. The Reformers did something that was very scary to the world of their day. They stood against all forms of dark superstitions which grip the minds and souls of men. It was their emphasis on the fear of the Lord and the wisdom of Holy Scripture that was used by God to liberate untold numbers of men and women. But to remember the Reformers instead of Halloween is very scary to the world. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10).
  4. The scariest thing you can do this Halloween is to refuse to watch or allow your children to watch any of the toxic Halloween and horror films emerging from Hollywood. America’s fascination with ungodly fear has made horror the most popular and fastest-growing film genre amoung youth. When parents allow their children to toy with this genre, they promote ungodly fear, and they contribute to the fear-factories in Hollywood that prey upon the youth of our culture. Say “no” to Hollywood horror and you will be dangerously scary to the media elite. “Fear ye not me? saith the Lord: will ye not tremble at my presence....?” (Jeremiah 5:22).
  5. The scariest thing you can do this Halloween is to get on your knees as a mother and father and pray that the Lord will send you many, children who will fear God, not man — children who will especially shun the glorification of witchcraft, the bondage of ungodly fear, and the “cute-ification” of evil that is promoted through holidays like Halloween. Cultures that toy with evil end up being cultures of death. The Christian response is to be a people of life. That means babies. It means fearing God by honoring His command to “be fruitful and multiply.” It means remembering that the Scripture describes children as a “blessing” and a “reward.” Raise children that fear God more than man, and that will be answer enough to our Halloween- and darkness-obsessed culture; for if you trust God over your womb and commit your children to a holy education, you will be very scary to the modern world. “Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord” (Psalm 34:11).

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Some unique ideas for gifts for your children

Do you look around your house as this Christmas season approaches and see a lot of unused toys lying around? Do you think inwardly that your children really don't need any more toys, but Christmas is coming and we'll have to come up with a gift list? Well, here's a tip straight from "olden" days. Why not start a "hope chest" sort of tradition? Okay here is what I mean. For boys this means getting them a rugged tool box and giving them the gift of basic tools each year: screwdrivers, hammer, pliers, wire cutters, a level, wrenches, socket wrenches, and as they get older, how about a drill and extra bits. For girls this means a tool box filled with cooking tools. Fill it up with some spatulas, a reamer for juicing lemons and citrus, measuring cups, measuring spoons, a liquid measuring cup, mixing bowls, wooden spoons, food chopper, a copy of your family favorite recipes, a basic cookbook or two, grater, knives, coffee maker or tea pot, mixer, blender, food processor, etc.

Now I guess you could do these things for both boys and girls. Not trying to be sexist, but really. The men usually handle the big fix-it-upper jobs, and the women usually cook. Hey, girls could use some basic household tools like screwdrivers and hammer and such for when they are out on their own. Boys do need some basic cooking equipment when they have their own apartments. What you need to do when giving these gifts is give your sons and daughters some lessons to learn how to use their tools. Remember to teach them they are tools not toys and they will need to keep them in a safe place for when they need them.

While these may not seem like gifts they will get too excited about at first, I bet in a few years, they will be thanking you profusely that you got them such valuable things and were thinking ahead. They won't miss another toy really. Chances are you won't miss another useless toy that you end up giving away or throwing away after it breaks or gets stepped on, or lost. :)

We gave each of our sons a tool box and screwdriver set last Christmas. Now when we need to fix something, they jump up and ask, "Can I get the tools from my toolbox, Dad?" They love using their tools. They are learning skills and responsibility. They are learning to put their tools away. My dad is teaching the boys how to take apart an old lawn mower and blower and fix them up. Maybe they will be able to be used again, maybe not, but the boys are learning valuable life skills for later. They could make a career out of motor repair. These are the kinds of gifts that keep on giving. Training up your children in the way they should go. Training them for more than just the moment at hand. If you don't know how to do these things, get a manual from the library and learn together.

Something to think about. :)